“_Ma-seu_, or _Ma-soo_, is the most common name among the Chinese, and is not unknown among foreigners. It means the island of Ma-tsoo, the name of a Buddhist goddess, or saint, who has a temple here, which at times is much resorted to. She is a sort of sailors’ goddess, much worshipped by them and others, especially in the provinces of Fuh-kien and Kwang-tung. She was a native, it is said, of Chin-chew, or that neighborhood, in Fuh-kien,--and is sometimes called the ‘Holy Mother,’ ‘Queen of Heaven,’ but is not to be confounded with the Goddess of Mercy, _Kwan-yin_, whose worship is much more widely diffused all over China, and beyond it, and whose rank is considered higher. “_Fang-ke-shan_ may be translated--‘the island where fowls are let go.’ I am told that some time ago, when there were no residents here but the people of the temple, live fowls used to be presented at the temple of Ma-tsoo, and then let go on the island, and that rice was given by the junk-people for the food of the fowls. It is also said that people did not dare to steal and eat them, and that any one who did so would get the stomach-ache.” The Buddhist temples in China are--as we have already seen--placed in the most picturesque situations, and frequently command views of the most charming scenery. This is also the case with the small but elaborately ornamented temple of Ma-tsoo, which is shaded with huge old banians, and located in one of the pleasantest spots on the island. A festival in honor of this goddess--which lasts five days--is held in September of each year, and is attended by crowds of people, who at that time flock to the island from the villages and cities on the main-land, in order to make offerings to their favorite deity. It is the custom of these people to blend various kinds of amusements with their devotions, which, to one so unfortunate as to be within hearing distance, are chiefly characterized by a most heathenish racket. At all of these festivals itinerant theatricals constitute a favorite source of amusement; and at Double Island the temporary theatre--which is always constructed of bamboo-poles and covered with matting--was frequently erected disagreeably near to some of the foreign residences. In September, 1862, one was set up so near our house, that, with the intense heat of the season and the noise of the performers, together with the clangor of their musical (?) instruments, we nearly went mad. The performances--which were continued every evening until an hour or two after twelve o’clock--“made night hideous.” The actors were arrayed in rich satin robes, elaborately embroidered, and, judging from the sea of upturned faces[33] that surrounded the place, the plays must have deeply interested the spectators.